Lake Stanley Draper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Stanley Draper |
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 Lake Stanley Draper
Location in Oklahoma
Lake Stanley Draper
Location in the United States
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| Location | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Coordinates | 35°20′29″N 97°21′07″W / 35.3413°N 97.3519°W |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 2,900 acres (1,200 ha) |
| Average depth | 35 ft (11 m) |
| Max. depth | 98 ft (30 m) |
| Water volume | 87,296 acre⋅ft (107,678,000 m3) |
| Shore length1 | 34 mi (55 km) |
| Surface elevation | 1,191 ft (363 m) |
| Settlements | Oklahoma City |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Stanley Draper is a large lake in southeast Oklahoma City, United States. It's not a natural lake, but a special kind of lake called a reservoir. Reservoirs are built to store water for cities. Lake Stanley Draper was built between 1962 and 1963. It was named after a person who was important to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce for a long time. This lake gets its water through a big pipeline from two other lakes: Atoka Lake and McGee Creek Reservoir. It is one of three main water sources for Oklahoma City.
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History of Lake Stanley Draper
The building of Lake Stanley Draper started in 1962. Its main purpose was to create a large water supply for the growing city of Oklahoma City.
Lake Size and Depth
Lake Stanley Draper covers a big area of about 2,900 acres (1,200 ha). That's like more than 2,000 football fields! The lake is usually about 34 feet (10 m) deep on average. At its deepest point, it goes down to 98 feet (30 m). Imagine stacking about seven school buses on top of each other – that's how deep it is! The lake holds a huge amount of water, about 87,296 acre-feet (107,678,000 m3).
Fun Things to Do at the Lake
Lake Stanley Draper is a popular spot for many outdoor activities. You can go fishing here, trying to catch different kinds of fish. If you like adventure, you can ride ATVs or dirt bikes on special trails. People also fly remote-controlled airplanes.
The lake is great for boating, including sailing and Water skiing. You can even go jet skiing in the main part of the lake. However, it's important to know that swimming is not allowed anywhere in Lake Stanley Draper.
For those who enjoy a more relaxed time, there are four covered fishing piers. You can also find simple campgrounds, picnic areas, grills for cooking, and restrooms.
Keeping the Lake Healthy
Sometimes, big projects are needed to keep the lake working well. In March 2010, Oklahoma City started a project to fix the pumps that bring water to Lake Draper. These pumps move water from Lake Atoka through a 100 mi (160 km) pipeline.
During this project, 24 new pumps were put in, and six old ones were fixed. To do this work, the pumps had to be turned off sometimes. This caused the lake's water level to drop much lower than usual. Because the water was so low, boating was not allowed for a while. Only special workers could be on the water.
By February 2011, the pipeline was fully working again, and water started flowing back into Lake Draper. However, the lake's water level stayed low for some time because there wasn't much rain during a long drought. Also, people in Oklahoma City were using a lot of water.
Finally, in April 2015, after a lot of rain, the lake filled up completely. It was back to its normal level, and everyone could enjoy all the fun activities again!
